Railroad-joint and fish-plate



RAILROAD JOINT AND FISH PLATE.

Patented Oct. 18,1881.

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L. HAAS.

RAILROAD JOINT AND FISH PLATE.

No. 248,455. Patented Oct. 18,1881.

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By flttorneys Waxhingkm. o. a

lNtTED STATES LEVI HAAS, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-JOINT AND FISH-PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,455, dated October 18, 1881,

Application filed May 18, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI HAAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chester, in the county of Delaware and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful I to provements in Railroad-Joints and Fish-Plates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters or figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part ol'this specification, and in which- Figure l is a side view of my improved railroad-joint and fish-plate. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a horizontal, and Fig. 4 is a vertical, section of the same; and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views thereof.

This invention appertains to improvements in a combined railroad-joint and fish -plate, having for its object to effect the simple and expeditious connecting together of the rail-sections and the splicingorshortening and lengthening of an individual rail-section in an effectual manner, and it consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, A A indicate the individual rail-sections, made in the usual manner, with the exception that their ends are grooved or concaved, as at a, prefer ably the entire depth thereof. Through these sections are made holes b to receive the securing-bolts. Inter-posed between and at the ends of any two rail-sections to be lengthened is a shorter section of rail or splice, A, with its ends provided with rounded or convex projections c, fitting into the concavities in the ends of the two adjacent rail-sections, to break joints with the straight portions of the joints between the splice and the two rail sections, as clearly shown in section in Figs. 2 and 3.

B is the combined fish-plate and chair, into which the ends of adjacent sections of rail are slipped, and, when required, into which the splice or shorter rail-section A is also inserted. The rail-sections are then fastened together by a stapleshaped .bolt, 0, adapted to span the intermediate shorter rail-section or splice, A, and having its screw-threaded portions passed through the coincident holes I) in the adjacent rails and nutted, as at d. The arms of the bolt 0 are also passed through the fish-plate B, provided with holes for their passage, and have fitted .or slipped upon their nutted ends, inside of the nuts, a plate, 6, as is common, to aid in preventing the turning of the nuts.

The splice A is secured from beingjarred above the adjoining rail-sections by means of a bolt,f, having a head,f, having recesses in it to receive shoulders in a recessed portion, g, of the fish-plate B, as clearly seen in Figs. 3 and 4, to prevent the turning of the bolt. The other end of the bolt is nutted upon the outside of the plate 0, to secure it in position. The removal of the splice or section A will permitof the shortening of a rail-section when desired.

It is a well-known fact that the flanges of a locomotives forward ordrivingwheels,more especially when the track is the least curved, deflects, in a degree, each distinct rail from the exact line or plane of the rail next succeeding it, notwithstandingthe bindingtorce of the fishplate, and as the wheel then strikes the lateral edge of the succeeding rail, accidents are the iesult, because the whole force of the train is thus,in degree, caused to impinge against the rail, and hence it is often thus displaced.

My invention obviates this difficulty or imperfection, as the edges of the rail, curved or straight, cannot in myimproveinent be struck by the flanges of the wheel.

Another advantage of my improvement is due to the fact that in short curves or turnoffs the fish plates may be dispensed with, and then the conformation of the rails admits of their easy curvature, as shown to the left of the fish-plate in Fig. 2.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of the horizontal bolt 0, splice A, rail-section A, having holes 1), plate 0, fish-plate and chair B, and boltf, substantiallyas shown, and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of rail-sections A, having vertical concavities a, shorter sections A, having rounded projections c, and boltf, provided with head f, recessed in plate B, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEVI HAAS.

\Vitnesses:

Geo. R. HERRIcK, THos. F. BREEN. 

